Nightmare in Paradise

Home to the shimmering tropical Lake Victoria, an abundance of unique wildlife and breathtaking mountain landscapes, the Eastern Congo is thought by many to be the site of the actual Garden of Eden. But as the camera lens of director Hubert Sauper's documentary Darwin's Nightmare points out, within this fertile green jewel, a horror resides. The film documents the experimental introduction of the carnivorous Nile Perch to Lake Victoria in the Â´60s. While the fish brought wealth to many, the irony is that the experiment completely depleted the native food supply. The so-called "progress" of globalization resulted in a starving people.

Darwin's Nightmare pierces right through this heart of darkness and takes a close look at the role we all play in the horrible and deadly economic machine. Sauper takes you right into the Tanzanians' globalization-induced nightmare as they combat starvation, disease and war just to survive another horrible day. Don't pinch yourself; this one's for real.
Feb. 24-26, 7 p.m.